The Questions Everyone's Afraid to Ask About Jews
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No, there never was a Palestinian state, and Jews are not colonizers.
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is fraught with myths, one of the most persistent being the existence of a Palestinian state before Israel’s establishment in 1948. This narrative is historically inaccurate and serves to delegitimize Israel. Understanding the true history is crucial, as the Palestinian narrative continues to be used as propaganda.
Before Israel declared independence in 1948, the region now known as Israel, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip was part of the British Mandate for Palestine, which was established by the League of Nations after the fall of the Ottoman Empire in the First World War.
Under Ottoman rule, the area was divided into various administrative districts, with no distinct political entity known as “Palestine.” The concept of a Palestinian national identity emerged in the 20th century, largely in response to the Zionist movement and increased Jewish immigration in the area.
However, there was never a Palestinian state, flag or anthem. The notion of a pre-existing Palestinian state is a modern fabrication that ignores the region’s actual history.
The modern State of Israel’s legitimacy is rooted in international law and global recognition. On Nov. 29, 1947, the United Nations General Assembly passed Resolution 181, known as the “Partition Plan,” proposing two states — one Jewish and one Arab.
The Jewish community accepted the plan, demonstrating a willingness to compromise for peace. However, the Arab states rejected it, refusing to recognize any Jewish state, and instead launched a military assault on Israel following its declaration of independence on May 14, 1948.
Another pervasive myth is the “Nakba” or “catastrophe,” narrative, which claims that Palestinians were forcibly expelled by Israel in 1948. This version omits the critical context that it was the Arab nations that invaded Israel, causing many Arabs to be expelled or flee their homes.
Rather than absorbing the displaced population, the surrounding Arab countries kept them in refugee camps, using them as pawns to pressure Israel. Organizations like UNRWA perpetuated this situation, keeping Palestinians in limbo rather than encouraging their integration into their host countries. This contrasts sharply with how other refugee populations have been handled, where integration and resettlement are the norm.
The land referred to as “Palestine” has always been inherently Jewish. The Jewish people have maintained a continuous presence there for thousands of years, long before Islam or the Arab conquests.
Archeological artifacts — such as the ancient fortress of Masada, the Dead Sea Scrolls and ancient synagogues — provide irrefutable proof of this enduring presence. The historical Jewish connection to the land is undeniable and should not be overshadowed by modern political narratives. The Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem was built atop the Jewish Temple hundreds of years after Jews established Jerusalem.
Another myth is that the West Bank and Gaza have always been Palestinian territories, with Israel acting as an occupier. After the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, Transjordan annexed the West Bank and Egypt took control of Gaza.
During this period, there was no significant Palestinian independence movement or international push for an independent Palestinian state. The concept of a Palestinian state only gained traction after Israel’s victory in the 1967 Six-Day War, when Israel took control of these areas from Jordan and Egypt.
Israel’s capture of the West Bank in 1967 was a strategic necessity, not an act of expansionism. Surrounded by hostile neighbors, Israel sought to create a buffer zone to protect itself from future attacks. However, this victory also led to Israel gaining control over a large Palestinian population, which had previously been under Jordanian rule.
Breaking the myths that are deeply woven into the narrative surrounding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is crucial. Recognizing the Jewish people’s right to live in Israel does not mean that the land cannot be shared. Indeed, Jews have a long history of seeking peace and coexistence. However, the Palestinian leadership has consistently rejected peace overtures, clinging to a false narrative aimed at Israel’s destruction.
The narrative that Israel is an occupier of lands rightfully belonging to a pre-existing Palestinian state is unsupported by historical facts. Before 1948, there was no Palestinian state. The Land of Israel has always been the ancestral home of the Jewish people, a fact supported by thousands of years of history. Attempts to erase this connection are not only disingenuous, they’re dangerous.
Israel’s existence is legitimate, its borders are recognized by international law and its actions in 1967 were driven by security needs, not territorial conquest. That’s why, in 2005, Israel handed over the Gaza Strip. Yet, rather than building a peaceful state, the Palestinians built a terrorist front to attack Israel.
As we confront today’s challenges, it is vital to shatter the myths distorting the region’s history and to stand firm in defending the truth.
This op-ed originally appeared in the National Post.
There is so much confusion about what is atop the Temple Mount. The Al Aqsa Mosque is in a corner of the platform and is not located where the Temple was located. There is another more impressive structure up there the Dome of the Rock. Supposedly, this is where the Temple was located. According to our stories, the Rock is tied to Abraham and Isaac as the location where Isaac was supposed to be sacrificed. It is also supposed to be the center of the world. Jacob was supposed to have slept on the Rock.
The Dome of the Rock is not a mosque. Today, the Waqf has claimed the entirety of the Temple Mount to be the Al Aqsa Mosque but only the silver-domed mosque in the corner is the Al Aqsa.
According to their stories, too, except that they say that it was the other son, Ishmael. Eid al-Adha, celebrated in June this year, commemorates this important event.
Abraham was the first Muslim, and, according to Islam, not a Jew since the Torah came much later, in effect, arguing that Islam's connection to Jerusalem precedes Judaism's. (Surah Ali 'Imran - 1-200 - Quran.com)
It should also be noted that the Dome is inscribed with texts which are polemical towards Christians and Jews for example "Bless ... Your servant Jesus ... It befitteth not God that He should take unto Himself a son." and "Religion with God (is) Islam. Those who (formerly) received the Book differed only after knowledge came unto them, through transgression among themselves."
It is important to note that the conflict between Israel and the Arabs in general and with Iran has its origins in the teachings of Islam in the Koran that all non-believers Jews,Christians etc. should be pursued,the men tortured and killed and the women and children enslaved and dates back to the founding of Islam1400 years ago and was seen in the actions of Hamas on Oct. 7,2023 when they invaded Israel,took hostages,raped the women,ripped them open,murdered babies and refuse to have a truce with Israel as they want to invade her again, decimate her and kill all Jews.Today,in nations where Muslims are in control,they often torture and kill non-believers as they did 1400 years ago and as the Arab Conquests did to all nations and peoples for over 500 years and as the Turks did to Armenia.
You are partly right and partly wrong. Non-believers have lived in Muslim lands for centuries and were not tortured, killed, raped, and enslaved. It is important to understand the conditions required for them to be "protected" and allowed to live as second-class citizens under Islamic law. In the absence of Zionism, a Palestinian state would've been established and Jews would have been allowed to live there as they had been for centuries.
However, you are absolutely correct that the conflict is rooted in the teachings of Islam. Zionism clashes with those teachings.
If you read the articles on the website and other more serious historical writings, you will learn that periodically the Jews and other minorities have been tourtured, raped, enslaved and killed - and also that this is still continuing in Moslem Arab countries today.
Yes, periodically. Any community could be taken over by a tyrant and many modern Arab countries are ruled by tyrants.
My point is that if this was a law in the Qur'an, it would be universal and continuous. There is much to criticize in Islam and, in particular, its antisemitism (and its anti-everything-else) which does come from the Qur'an, but what Morris said about the Qur'an is wrong.
I'm not defending the Qur'an; I'd be the first in line to throw a copy onto a bonfire. However, I think it is important to read it, first.
So damn true. If you repeat a lie often enough sapiens tend to to want to believe it. And think of all the effort, time and money wasted in perpetuating this lie. Sad indeed.
There will never be a state called Palestine, true -- but that doesn't mean you can deny rights to people living under Israeli rule because they're not Jews. Any more than the US or Germany can deny rights to Jews because they're not Christians.
You advocate that Israelis should give full rights to those that would stab you in the back in a second. BTW, have you ever checked whether Israeli Arabs pay taxes to the Israel government?
Hmm, that's what they said about the Jews ...
Correct, and all Israeli citizens have the same rights and freedoms regardless of race, religion, gender, etc. But unfortunately Israel must administer regions in which not all people are citizens - so for those people International Law is used. There are differences between the two, which leads to an appearance of “inequality”.
The Jews are the real Palestinans the other ones are imposters and are really muslim arabs from arab countries, the characters that call themselves "Paletinans" are liars and the their land is a myth, Palestine was the name the Romans gave to the Jewish/Hebrew land of Judea, which comes from tje name Judah which is a Jewish/Hebrew name
What is missing from most articles like this is that Arabs are from Arabia & are the colonizers of the Near East, Levant, Africa and parts of Asia. Islam dictates that any land once conquered by Islam is always Islamic including all European parts of the Ottoman Empire and the Iberian peninsula and cannot be ruled by anyone else The " white " American and European outrage over Israel doesn't realize there would be many more Jews of color if it had not been for Islam's colonialist convert-or-die policy.
What we now refer to as the West Bank could have lived peacefully under Jordanian rule. But Jordan chose to invade Israel. Gaza was gifted back to those who call themselves Palestinians but its population voted for Hamas as their government on a platform it would destroy Israel. Hamas built a massive underground war infrastructure and then attacked Israel. They start it. Israel finishes it.
Jordan is really 80% of ancient biblical Israel, and the Jews got only 20% of our land, and our enemies have a problem with the 20% we got, in the future the Jewish people should get our 80% that belongs to the Jewish people
Most of us that will read this article are already aware of most of the facts mentioned. The facts contained in the article need to be presented to the rest of the world.
No, "the rest of the world" can see through biased articles like this one and the article would have the opposite effect that you hope for.
Articles should focus on the present, not the past, and the future prospects of all of the people, not just one group.
Knowing what has happened historically, we may wish for a different present, but there is no going back in time. Everyone is connected to the place where they are, for better or for worse.
Your logic is hard to follow. You says the past does not matter, only the present, because "everyone is connected to the place where they are"? So then Israel is entitled to keep its towns and villages in Judea and Samaria.
My point was that the article is "preaching to the choir", that is, to people who already accept the Israeli position and ignores that there is another side. Not everyone in "the rest of the world" will ignore that there is another side.
By raising the question of Israel's "entitlement" to West Back settlements, you are admitting that there are two sides to this particular question; something that is treated disingenuously in the article.
Israel’s capture of the West Bank in 1967 was a strategic necessity, not an act of expansionism is a true statement, but ignores the change in Israeli policy that began later.
The narrative that Israel is an occupier of lands rightfully belonging to a pre-existing Palestinian state is unsupported by historical facts is a true statement but is a fallacious argument. There is no narrative that there was a pre-existing Palestinian state.
The author may fool "choir members" with an article full of half-truths and fallacious arguments, but don't expect to change more knowledgeable readers.
So if there is no narrative that there was a pre-existing state, what is the the Palestinian claim to the land? That they have occupied it for a long time, so now they get to stay there forever?
Exactly. Suppose the neighbor of a Jewish-American family went over to their house in New Jersey and said, "My ancestors have been here longer than yours, so I'm stealing your house at gunpoint. I don't have to worry about the police because they don't like Jews." Would you say, "Well, that makes sense"?
What change in policy are you referring to? The re-establishment of a Jewish community in Hebron, which had been present for hundreds of years until the ethnic cleansing carried out by the Arabs in 1929? The re-establishment of Gush Etzion, 19 years after its residents were massacred by the Jordan legion? Or perhaps the resettlement of "east" Jerusalem, which had been home to hundreds, if not thousands of Jewish families for hundreds of years?
Interesting, "no going back in time"?
Certainly not in a time machine if that's what you meant, but I often see how the left wants to ignore history, rewrite history to fit their narrative or cry about.the injustices of history - all depending on what their political/social/cultural needs are AT THE TIME. History is history
.
Yes, the "true" history is what we need. All of it.
Under Ottoman rule, the area was divided into various administrative districts with no distinct political entity known as “Palestine.” nor Turkey, Syria, Jordan, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, etc.
Lines on a map do not determine their geographic character. This is the myth that needs to be busted: that victorious war powers have legitimate authority to make decisions concerning the establishment of territories.
The notion of a pre-existing Palestinian state is a modern fabrication that ignores the region’s actual history.
This is true for all of our modern states. Why treat the Palestinian state differently?
The land referred to as “Palestine” has always been inherently Jewish.
It has always been inherently "multicultural".
During this period, there was no significant Palestinian independence movement or international push for an independent Palestinian state. The concept of a Palestinian state only gained traction after Israel’s victory in the 1967 Six-Day War, when Israel took control of these areas from Jordan and Egypt.
Wrong... In 1951, King Abdullah I of Jordan was assassinated by a Palestinian. The PLO was established in 1964. There are other obvious examples.
Israel’s capture of the West Bank in 1967 was a strategic necessity, not an act of expansionism. but the establishment of settlements in the West Bank is expansionism.
Israel’s existence is legitimate, its borders are recognized by international law. but not by the people living there.
Attempts to erase this connection are not only disingenuous, they’re dangerous.
Ignoring the legitimate objections to the establishment and course of the State of Israel is also disingenuous and dangerous. We need to understand the whole truth.
Can you explain to us exactly what is the legitimate objection to the establishment of Israel?
Can you imagine any situation when foreign nations could create a state without the consent of the people living there? Perhaps the USA should be forced by international agreement to cede Minnesota from its union to be an independent Muslim state for refugee resettlement? No one would object?
The article claims (falsely) "This contrasts sharply with how other refugee populations have been handled, where integration and resettlement are the norm." What does the author have in mind?
This wasn't sinply "creation of a state", this was restoring people to their ancestral homeland. The people living there at that time were actually the occupiers, it was the Jewish people exercising their Right of Return.
You are right, the Jews returned to our land after more then 2000 years, and now the world has a problem wirh it, in the prophets is says before Moshiach comes Israel and the Jews will have a problem with Ishmeal about who inherits the land so how long will we have to wait that the Jews are the rightful owners of the land of Israel
Unless I'm mistaken, the prophesy is that you will have to wait until the end of time.
I hope that helps put this in perspective for you.
After WWII there were millions of displaced people and the UN established an agency to help them resettle in new locations. Logically the Arab refugees from what became Israel should have been just another such group. But under pressure from the Arab League a separate entity was created, UNWRA, which in fact works to prevent their resettlement and into new locations. None of the descendants of the millions of other displaced people are now considered refugees. But the great-grandchildren of the “Palestinians” are still considered refugees even if they have been living as citizens of another country for 3 generations.
The devil is in the details.
The post-WWII European refugees were mostly resettled in the USA, Canada, and Australia where they had connections, if not direct family connections, then connections with people from the same place. There is no similar immigrant Palestinian community anywhere.
A tiny fraction of refugees are resettled each year. Far more return to their country of origin. From the UNHCR website: "Nearly 1.1 million refugees returned to their countries of origin during 2023 while 158,700 were resettled"
It would be impossible to resettle the 100M displaced people worldwide. The focus of the world community must be to create a hospitable environment for them to return home. That's what these people want.
Jordan ethnically cleansed Judea and Samaria when it captured the area and renamed it the West Bank, so no settlements are expansionist. This is Judea's heartland; the Samaritans have always lived in Samaria. King Abdullah was killed because he was a Hashemite, the Saudi tribe overthrew his kingdom and the Hashemites were not local to the Mandate. Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon were supposed to be the portion given to the Mandate Arabs
but they wanted it all since Islam had colonized it.
It has always been inherently "multicultural"
What do you mean by that? That there many different types of Jews living there, the 12 tribes? Or do you mean the multiple cultures who occupied the Jewish homeland and persecuted the Jewish people trying live in their ancestral homeland?
Read the Torah. All kinds of people lived there. Genetic and archeological evidence indicates the Palestinians descend from the Canaanites, as do the closely related Jews. In fact, Jews and Palestinians are so similar genetically that gives support to the hypothesis some Palestinians may descend from Jews forcibly converted to Islam after the seventh-century Arab conquest. Just because 1 Samuel 15:3 advocated genocide of other peoples, as cited by Netanyahu on Oct. 28, doesn't mean that genocide was successful, either in ancient times or today.
How does one identify a "Palestinian?" How do they differ from other Arabs?
When after the 1st W0rld war Britain held the mandate of the the land called Palestine, they gave 2thirds of it to Abdulla which became Jordan, so in point of fact the present Israel and the West bank is a third of the land.That should have been the country of the Muslim people, maybe then there would have been peace for both peoples.
There was and is no ethnic cleansing. Arabs fled Israel because they feared the Jews would do to them what the Arabs said they would and did do the Jews.
The Western politicians and diplomats the United Nations and the Western media need to be continuously reminded of the truth in this article.
I think they know they already know the "truth, they choose to act otherwise. Israel shows up its Arab theocratic neighbors by being a democracy and treating ALL equally.
Antisemitism is/will always rear it's ugly head.
Excellent article and resources. Only problem is: you’re preaching to the choir here. And those who don’t know the truth; aren’t interested in the truth. They are only interested in spewing hate.
A clear rendition of the truth. But to the Jew-haters, mainly on the Left, the truth doesn't matter. All they can/will see is that some white Europeans displaced some brown indigenous noble savages. Nothing else matters to them.
It sounds like either you've read my new book, or, we've both encountered the truth! Please share: https://debracohenbooks.org
Israel is God's own Chosen Land of His Inheritance-Zecariah2::10-12 ,If God decided to be So, who can Ask Him what have You done- Daniel 4:35!
Great work!
This article needs to be shared far and wide with friends, relatives and colleagues. Send it to everyone you know. Most are ignorant about the myth of the Palestinian state. Please, please share this article!
This article does an excellent job of presenting true and important facts. However, I can’t help but feel that the facts alone may not sway those who are already entrenched in their beliefs. Social psychologist Leon Festinger, known for his theory of cognitive dissonance, once observed: "A man with a conviction is a hard man to change. Tell him you disagree and he turns away. Show him facts or figures and he questions your sources. Appeal to logic and he fails to see your point." It’s a sobering reminder that while presenting the truth is crucial, it often takes more than just facts to move many minds. Still, this article is a vital step in the right direction.
I agree! I have tried and tried to get people who say they stand with Palestine to see reality but most reply only by yelling "GENOCIDE" at me or doing the things Festinger describes. Still we must continue to tell the truth that antisemitic people don't want to hear, as you say. I will be sending this article to many people I know. I especially like how succinct it is. I will use it to try to get across to people that I call the flag they are waving "The Palestinian War Flag" because that is what it is. It's the same to me as the flag of the South during the Civil War, created to signify the wish to create a country that has never existed -- and which is antidemocratic, racist, and sexist.
I agree with you, these so called people are very anti semitic and hiding under being anti zionism, but anti zionism is anti semitism in disguise the only "Palestine" that existed was the homeland of the Jews that was originally called "Judea" and the Romans renamed our land "Palestine" the anicent people with a similar name translated to be invaders but we are not invaded G_ d gave us the land of Israel as our inheritance more then 2000 years ago, the land of Israel is blooming because the Jews came back to our homeland and now the world has a problem with it, in Europe the non Jews shouted "Jew go to Palestine" now the world has a problem for us to go to our home
If (a) Israel is so democratic, and (b) there will never be a state called Palestine, that is, the two-state solution is dead, then (c) it follows everyone from the river to the sea living under Israeli rule should have Israeli citizenship. Do you agree?
Well said. I tend to look at Israel's accomplishments since "creation" and can't help but be amazed. A Jewish state is a reality that "upsets" the naysayers. The antisemitic disease won't be eradicated anytime soon.
There will never be a state called Palestine, true -- but that doesn't mean you can deny rights to people living under Israeli rule because they're not Jews. Any more than the US or Germany can deny rights to Jews because they're not Christians.
The Muslims kicked out Jews from Arab countries when Israel became a country/ state with only the clohes on there back, and a lot of Muslims want to massacre Jews like they did on October 7, 2023, so your point is not so simple then, Germany was the country that murdered 6 million Jews and 5 million non Jews, the list is in Yad Vashem and my mother's ( obm) are included too, plus my mother ( obm) was in a concentration camp called Auschwitz-Birneau, to you know anything about the Holocaust and Jewish history, how can you give rights to people that want to destroy you because you are a Jew